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After failing to beat Burnley in their previous Premier League game, which ended with a 2-2 draw, Southampton take on Watford at Vicarage Road in what is another big clash for the Saints, with the Hornets only two points ahead of them in the table and scoring five goals in their previous league outing against Everton.

On the chalkboard

Looking ahead to the match against the Hertfordshire club, one player who Southampton will have available and who we feel should be in the starting XI is captain James Ward-Prowse.

During Southampton’s 3-1 defeat against Chelsea earlier this month, Ward-Prowse was shown a red card and given a three-game ban for a challenge on Jorginho, which saw him miss the matches against Leeds United, Burnley and their Carabao Cup clash against the west Londoners in midweek.

Prior to that, Ward-Prowse had played every minute of Premier League action for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, proving just how vital he is for the club.

Now that the 26-year-old, who is currently earning £45k-per-week according to Spotrac, has completed his ban, we feel that Hasenhuttl should have no qualms over putting him straight back into his starting line-up to try and get all three points out of the game against Watford on Saturday.

Since making his senior debut for the Saints back in 2011 after working his way through their youth system, Ward-Prowse – who has been previously labelled an “exceptional” player by Stephen Warnock – has made 331 appearances for the Saints across all competitions, scoring 35 goals and providing 42 assists in the process.

So far this season, he has racked up an average of 1.4 shots at goal and 1.4 key passes per game in the Premier League, showing just how much of an attacking influence he has on the team, and that’s why we believe he could frighten Watford at the weekend.

Looking ahead to the match against Claudio Ranieri’s side, we feel that Ward-Prowse should definitely be in Southampton’s starting XI to see if he can add to the two goals he has under his belt already this season and give the Saints the best chance of getting three points and climbing further away from the relegation zone.

In other news: Hasenhuttl could unearth Southampton’s next Redmond in ‘talented’ 18 y/o four-goal starlet

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte has led his side to fourth in the Premier League, as it stands, and is on the verge of sealing a place in Europe’s premier cup competition for 2022/23.

Finishing in the top four could have a major impact on their business in the summer as it could help their efforts to land a certain Lazio gem.

It was recently reported that Spurs will make a move for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, with Fabio Paratici plotting a swoop for the midfielder if the club can secure Champions League qualification this season.

He is reportedly valued at €80m (£66m) by the Italian outfit and he is attracting interest from other teams, with PSG and Juventus said to be keen on him.

Antonio Conte would love him

The Spurs head coach needs him at the club as he would offer something different to the current crop of Spurs midfielders.

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Tottenham do not currently have any central midfielders who offer a big goal threat in the Premier League. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is the club’s top-scoring player from that position with just two goals to his name, which suggests that they lack a player like Milinkovic-Savic.

In Europe’s top five leagues over the past year, the Serbian international ranks in the 93rd percentile or higher for non-penalty goals, assists, expected assists, non-penalty expected goals, and shots per 90 – as per FBRef. He is also in the 80th percentile for shot-creating actions and in the 97th percentile for progressive passes, proving that he is an elite attack-minded midfielder.

Parma’s sporting director Demetrio Albertini previously lauded his talent, saying: “Milinković-Savić has the characteristics of a great champion; he has extraordinary elegance.”

This high praise is backed up by his incredible attacking statistics for Lazio. He has nine goals and nine assists in the Serie A this term, after producing eight goals and nine assists last season – proving his consistency in the final third.

At the age of 27, he is also now heading into his prime years and this means that Conte will not need to worry about him reaching his potential. Spurs have a number of young players in their squad, including Ollie Skipp in the same position, and it will be a relief for the head coach to have another experienced option to choose from in the middle of the park.

This, along with his attacking quality, is why the Italian boss needs him in North London next season. He can bring goals and to the side from midfield and take some of the pressure off Heung-Min Son, Harry Kane and Dejan Kulusevski, whilst also providing them with chances to score with his progressive passing.

AND in other news, Conte can finally axe “terrible” £91k-p/w dud as THFC plot bid for £58m-rated “leader”…

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has his first chance to win silverware at the club as his side face Hibernian in the League Cup final this weekend.

The Hoops beat St Johnstone 1-0 in the semi-finals and come into this game off the back of a 2-1 win over Ross County in the Premiership, with Liel Abada and Antony Ralston scoring in midweek.

Forget Welsh

However, one problem Postecoglou faces heading into this match is the suspension of Carl Starfelt after his red card in midweek. He was given his marching orders for two bookable offences as the Hoops picked up the three points and he is now set to miss the final.

Starfelt’s indiscrection has left the 56-year-old with a decision to make regarding who he selects in his back four for this match. He should forget about making a like-for-like change by bringing Stephen Welsh in for the Swede and instead unleash Greg Taylor from the start.

By starting the Scotland international against Hibernian, Liam Scales could move from left-back to his natural central defensive position. The Irishman won eight of his 12 duels against Ross County and completed 100% of his dribbles whilst registering an assist from full-back, showing that he was strong in his defending and capable of playing out with the ball at his feet.

Postecoglou sang Taylor’s praises earlier this year after he put pen to paper on a new contract, saying: “He has had an excellent start to the season and has made a really valuable contribution to the team.

“Unfortunately he has suffered the injury in recent weeks, but our focus and his, is now to get him back in the squad as soon as possible, have him pick up where he left off and playing at that same high level.”

The £8.2k-per-week gem is a natural left-back and has averaged an impressive SofaScore rating of 7.13 in the Premiership this term. He has averaged 1.8 key passes and 2.6 tackles and interceptions per game, showing his ability to perform at both ends of the pitch.

Postecoglou could duly get Scales and Taylor into the team in their favoured positions, without needing to start Welsh next to Cameron Carter-Vickers. It is now down to the Australian to make the call and unleash the Scottish left-back against Hibernian on Sunday.

AND in other news, Celtic can finally axe “stupid” Lennon signing by landing “unstoppable” 30 y/o machine…

Patrick Bamford missed Leeds United’s FA Cup defeat to West Ham with a fresh hip problem, according to reliable journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Leeds dumped out of FA Cup

The Whites were beaten 2-0 away to the Hammers on Sunday afternoon, exiting the cup at the third round stage.

A weakened Leeds team never really got going at the London Stadium and their focus turns solely to Premier League commitments between now and May.

Bamford was one of numerous key players not present in east London, but it turns out that he was due to feature until a late setback emerged.

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The Latest: Fresh Bamford injury

Taking to Twitter after the game, Hay confirmed that the striker was in line to face West Ham after another injury absence, only to be ruled out with a hip problem. The severity of the injury remains unknown, so Bamford could be set for yet more time on the sidelines.

The journalist revealed: “Bamford was due to start today but had a problem around his hip. Bielsa still waiting to find out the full extent of it.”

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The Verdict: Potential big blow

Bamford has been an enormous loss for Leeds for much of this season, with the entire attack blunted without him leading the line and proving to be a reliable source of goals and assists, like he was last term.

The 28-year-old has been limited to just five starts in the current Premier League campaign and Marcelo Bielsa desperately needs him back as his side look to pull clear of the relegation zone.

Aside from Raphinha, the Whites have been rather short on reliable scorers this season, so if Bamford’s latest injury is a long-term one, Leeds must look to bring in a striker in the January transfer window. Otherwise, they risk getting themselves into real trouble in the league.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly eyeing up a move for a young British player. Find out who it is here.

As per London World, a promising transfer update has come to light involving Tottenham Hotspur, Antonio Conte and Middlesborough defender Djed Spence.

The Lowdown: Spurs join race…

First reported by Sky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas, sharing news on his personal Twitter feed, Spurs and transfer chief Fabio Paratici have joined the race to sign Spence amid his impressive stint on loan at Nottingham Forest.

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The 21-year-old has been turning heads at the City Ground under Steve Cooper, attracting the attention of major Premier League clubs as Conte seeks out new right-back options.

Any deal to sign Spence this window would result in the player remaining at Forest until the end of the season and then joining in the summer, but that hasn’t swayed Spurs as they take a firm interest.

The Latest: Spurs ‘edging closer’…

According to London World, Tottenham are ‘edging closer’ to their ‘first January signing’ as Conte personally eyes a move for the Englishman.

The Italian is said to be ‘unimpressed’ with current right-back options Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal as he takes to the market in search of alternatives.

Spence, as a result, could ‘answer Conte’s prayers’ with his pace and delivery on that side – but north London rivals Arsenal are also still in contention for the starlet as things stand.

The Verdict: Exciting player…

The Boro man’s form on loan at Forest this season has been terrific, leaving little wonder there are now major players in the hunt for his signature this month.

Defensively, according to WhoScored, he’s shown real solidarity – averaging the third-most interceptions per 90 out of Cooper’s side in the Championship this campaign (1.6).

Meanwhile, going forward, Spence has been a constant threat – completing more dribbles per 90 (1.8) than any Forest regular with more than two league starts (WhoScored).

His form has attracted real praise, with Sky Sports pundit Jobi McAnuff saying he has been a ‘massive player’ for the English second tier side and could well continue to be in their hunt for a Championship play-off spot (Sky Sports EFL Podcast via Football League World).

According to journalist Ryan Taylor of The Daily Express, Spence could cost up to £15 million, but a player of his high ceiling may well be worth the investment,

In other news: Reliable journalist: ‘Perfect’ player once valued at £83m now wants to join Conte at Spurs, find out more here.

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Rangers’ chances of winning the Scottish Premiership title have surely increased following the news that Brendan Rodgers is set to leave Celtic to take up the vacant post at Leicester City, but it leaves Steven Gerrard with a vital job to carry out, and probably the most important of his tenure to date.

On the chalkboard

A loss against Kilmarnock after the winter break and a goalless draw at home to St Johnstone earlier this month looked to have fatally damaged the Glasgow giants’ hopes of winning the league this season, given how formidable the Bhoys appeared under their Northern Irish manager.

However, there is no doubt that his departure could easily affect the players and the club’s performances on the pitch even with Neil Lennon reportedly agreeing to succeed him, and their local neighbours will know that they potentially have a big opportunity to grasp in the coming weeks and months with the gap lying at eight points ahead of their Wednesday fixture against Dundee.

One thing that has cost them before could ultimately do so again in their renweed title bid though, and Gerrard needs to ensure that it doesn’t happen.

No more complacency

It is something that the 38-year-old has accused his team of already this term, and he certainly cannot afford to let it rear its ugly ahead again anytime soon.

Suddenly the pressure if off of his side and all on Celtic, but the Rangers players simply can’t get into a mindset where they feel that they can easily win every game they turn up to – because it doesn’t happen like that, as they have learned against Kilmarnock and St Johnstone already in 2019.

Gerrard has obviously failed to eradicate it previously, but now he has the most important job of his Rangers reign to date so it doesn’t happen again and so they can push their arch-enemies all the way.

After listening to Victor Orta’s exciting comments about the academy last week, Leeds United supporters will no doubt be casting even more of a keen eye on some of the club’s brightest young talents.

The Yorkshire club’s director of football openly spoke about the need to have academy prospects in and around the first-team set-up, saying: “I believe in a project that is one of Marcelo Bielsa’s legacies – 18 professionals and the other four players always being under 21.

“If you believe in youth development, you need to prove (it). Our idea is to believe in youth development and to give belief to the Academy. (What) is better for me – the 450 minutes for a striker in Joey Gelhardt, or 450 minutes in a striker who is 31 years old? I believe in the first.

“Because it’s the only way Leeds United can grow. Because the other way, if I am going to buy careers, I always lose, because there are other teams in England with more money, with more investment. I need to build careers.”

Well, if Orta is looking at ‘building’ a career out of someone at Thorp Arch, then he should look no further than 18-year-old starlet Max Dean.

The teenage forward has enjoyed an impressive campaign with the club’s U23s this season, scoring five goals in 15 games at Premier League 2 level, including strikes against the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United.

It’s been no surprise then that Leeds’ former U23s boss Mark Jackson has previously waxed lyrical about the forward and his character, saying: “You don’t have to prepare it with Deano. Deano’s a fiery character, I don’t like to quash that in him. He’s got an edge to him and how he plays – and I like that in his personality.

“Yes he gets frustrated at times and we have to curtail it but his hunger to press and work hard and his hunger to score goals is really apparent.”

In late October, despite a 4-2 defeat to Arsenal, Jackson showered Dean with more praise, saying: “I spoke to Max before the game. When he first came to the club, he had a real intensity about his play, really aggressive style in how he pressed and how he competed – we have chats with the players all the time and there’s been stages where we think that’s sort of dipped off a little bit in recent games.

“We’ve had a few chats recently with Max, and particularly before the game, I said ‘listen, you need to try and get back to those moments when you were playing in the 23s last year’. I thought he took that conversation well and he took it on board today and he had a much more positive performance.”

If Leeds are looking to get more out of their burgeoning academy, then Dean could well be the next breakout star to come out of Thorp Arch.

AND in other news – Sold at £8m, now worth triple: Leeds had a nightmare over “fearless” 5 ft 9 magician

Antonio Conte will be looking for his opening Premier League victory in charge of Spurs when he takes the dugout for the very first time at home this afternoon.

Spurs welcome Leeds United to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for Sunday’s late kick-off for their return to action following the international break.

The Italian narrowly defeated Vitesse in the Europa Conference League but could only seal a point against Everton at Goodison Park before several members of his first-team squad departed for national team duty.

He now faces an out-of-sorts Yorkshire outfit but there will be a number of dilemmas ringing around his head heading into the encounter.

The Lilywhites’ creative problems are no secret – despite sitting in tenth place before the game, they are amongst the very worst in the division in the final third.

Only Norwich City (10) have averaged fewer shots per game than Spurs (10.1) and similarly, the Canaries (9.32) are the one team to have managed a lower expected goals ratio than the north Londoners (11.43).

Furthermore, under Conte, Spurs’ worrying run without a goal or shot on target continued. It’s now five hours since they last found the net – when Heung-min Son bagged the third at Newcastle United – and it’s nearly four hours since Harry Kane’s header was on target against West Ham.

On that evidence, something has got to change.

It has been quietly mooted that the 52-year-old could alter his system at the club, going from a 3-4-3 of sorts, which utilises Son and Lucas Moura as inside-forwards behind Kane, to a 3-4-1-2, which would deploy a no.10 in the hole.

If this turns out to be the case, then it’s time for Conte to turn to Tanguy Ndombele as the Frenchman is arguably the club’s most technically gifted talent, on his day.

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Indeed, ex-goalkeeper Joe Hart once waxed lyrical about his ability to BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand.

“This kid is a world-beater, he can do anything.’ He just turned around during the game and said ‘this kid is unplayable’,” claimed the former shot-stopper during Spurs’ FA Cup clash with Wycombe Wanderers (via football.london).

The 24-year-old dynamo, who is valued at £34m by CIES Football Observatory, was always meant to be the creative heartbeat of Spurs’ midfield following the departure of Christian Eriksen but he has not quite lived up to expectations.

Perhaps it will be Conte who gets the best out of him but he’ll have to start him for the very first time against Leeds to find out.

Back in 2018, French football journalist Julien Laurens lauded Ndombele for his attributes in the final third, telling the BBC:

“Everything he does is forward – there aren’t many sideways passes. The first thing on his mind is going forward, with a pass that can break a line or beat two or three players with a dribble because he’s so good carrying the ball.”

At Lyon, the 5 foot 11 midfielder averaged at least 1.5 key passes per 90 minutes in every top-flight campaign prior to his move to Spurs. That would see him rank third in the current squad and season.

With Oliver Skipp also out through suspension, it would be wise for Conte to unleash Ndombele against Leeds this afternoon. It could be a game-changing decision come full-time.

AND in other news, Paratici can resolve two major Conte problems by signing “faultless” £26m-rated colossus…

Many Everton fans have been left fuming as a transfer revelation has emerged involving Anwar El Ghazi.

As per The Athletic, the former Aston Villa ace was not on their radar at the start of the January transfer window, and only came up in conversation between owner Farhad Moshiri and his advisor, Kia Joorabchian.

It suggests that there was a lack of planning before the window started over potential incomings in attacking areas, given that they had already signed full-backs Nathan Patterson and Vitaliy Mykolenko.

There must also be question marks over their scouting departments and how effectively they are using them, if Moshiri and Joorabchian have came up with the signing themselves.

Nonetheless, with a sizeable number of wingers in the squad already, El Ghazi did seem like a strange signing at the time.

Everton fans on El Ghazi transfer revelation

These members of the Goodison Park faithful fumed as the transfer revelation was shared on Twitter, with one Merseyside club supporter even going as far as to claim that it was ‘ridiculous’:

“Ridiculous”

Credit: @s_tomashevsky

“Why bother having scouts?”

Credit: @evertonskins

“Depressing”

Credit: @skjones505

“This. This is the problem with Everton Football Club.”

Credit: @MichaelF2000

“We will never make any progress under Moshiri unless he makes a dramatic change in strategy”

Credit: @EFC1878JM

“This really is a terrible way to run a football club and it shows that lessons are not being learned, and the footballing review is doomed as the person leading the review is the person who is the biggest problem.”

Credit: @EFCNovaScotia

In other news, find out who is now likely to be out for two months for the Toffees here!

Celtic centre-back Stephen Welsh could be fit to face Bayer Leverkusen despite being forced off injured at the weekend, according to The Daily Record’s Michael Gannon. 

The lowdown

Celtic are due to travel to Germany to face Group G leaders Leverkusen on Thursday night. If they lose, and Real Betis beat point-less Ferencvaros in the other game, they’ll be out of the Europa League.

Welsh would automatically have been considered a doubt for the vital clash after taking an elbow in the head from St Johnstone’s Shaun Rooney in Saturday’s Scottish League Cup semifinal.

He had to be substituted off 12 minutes from time.

Injury expert Ben Dinnery told Football Insider that a ‘severe’ facial injury could require ‘surgical intervention’, sidelining Welsh for ‘months’.

The latest

Happily for Celtic, the ‘excellent’ Welsh seems to have escaped a serious injury. It’s ‘understood’ that he didn’t suffer from concussion in the wake of the clash.

And he could be in contention to face Leverkusen, who currently sit 4th in the Bundesliga.

The verdict

Intriguingly, Carl Starfelt is apparently ‘in the running to be involved’ at the BayArena, having returned to training.

So does Postecoglou go with Welsh after his Saturday scare or throw Starfelt back in for what looks a daunting test?

If there’s no risk of Welsh exacerbating the problem, then you’d arguably lean towards him, purely for that added sharpness. He’s played the last three games, and you wouldn’t want Starfelt to be caught cold in a game of this magnitude.

In other news, read this exciting Jota claim from a journalist.